If Tom Brady decides to retire, the Buccaneers will have a big problem. Who will play quarterback for them?
Coach Bruce Arians has described Blaine Gabbert as the most underrated player in the league. (Bruce Arians’s blood-alcohol content was not tested at the time he said this.) 2021 second-rounder Kyle Trask isn’t ready. So what will they do?
Recently, Arians said they’ll consider free agents. They presumably will also consider trades.
If so, could they turn to a trade for Aaron Rodgers?
The Bucs necessarily will be a consideration for Rodgers as he looks for his next team, if/when he decides to leave the Buccaneers. But would Rodgers want to follow Brady? Rodgers definitely would be compared to Brady. If Rodgers didn’t win a Super Bowl his first year in Tampa, the narrative would become (for many) that Brady is better than Rodgers.
Still, it’s incumbent on Rodgers to find a place where the grass is greener than it is in Green Bay. In Denver or Las Vegas (both of which are viable destinations), he’d be competing with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. In Pittsburgh (another viable destination), Rodgers would be dealing with Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and (for now) Baker Mayfield.
With the Saints likely to sink post-Payton and the Panthers and Falcons still fighting to become relevant, maybe the Bucs make sense for Rodgers.
That said, the Packers would have to be willing to do the deal. They presumably are far more inclined to ship Rodgers to a non-NFC team.
Actually, staying where he is likely makes the most sense for Rodgers. He can continue to own the NFC North, and also fatten up his record in order to get the No. 1 seed. One of these years, maybe he’ll actually parlay the top seed into a Super Bowl berth.